


Needle To The Heart

by gaysadandtired



Series: Spreading Joy [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Tattoo Artist Yuta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:01:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23707297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaysadandtired/pseuds/gaysadandtired
Summary: For his 24th birthday, Ten finally decides on getting a tattoo. Unknown to him, a tattoo isn't the only thing he ends up with.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Nakamoto Yuta
Series: Spreading Joy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1707379
Comments: 3
Kudos: 96





	Needle To The Heart

“I’m gonna do it,” Ten announced after completely zoning out for what was five minutes at the very least. The man has been thinking over his decision for a few months at this point, worried that he’d regret it in the future. However, Ten finally made up his mind and once that happened there really was no changing his decision. 

Taeil hummed without even as much as looking up at his friend, eyes glued to his phone. “That’s nice,” he mused, scrolling through his Instagram feed. “I’m happy for you.” 

The younger of the two men crossed his arms over his chest, pouting at Taeil’s lack of interest. “At least pretend you care,” he grumbled. “Do you even know what I’m talking about?” 

“Not a clue,” Taeil replied honestly, glancing at Ten. He offered the younger a smile, though when he noticed Ten wasn’t pleased with him, he sighed, placing his phone screen down on the table between them. “What is it?” 

“The tattoo,” the younger explained. “I’m gonna get it.” 

“Oh.” Taeil seemed pleasantly surprised by the revelation, the corners of his mouth twitching up. “I didn’t think you would.” 

“Well I am,” Ten affirmed. “Let’s call it a birthday gift from me to me.” 

“Do you have the cash for it?” 

“Do I have the- of course I do! I’ve thought about this thoroughly,” the younger stated, rolling his eyes in disbelief. “I’m not an idiot,” he added as he reached out for his iced coffee to take a sip. 

Taeil nodded softly. “Never said you were. But in that case, where are you getting it?” 

“I’m gonna get it at- _Fuck!”_

So maybe he didn’t plan it as  thoroughly as he thought he did.

“Never heard of the place,” Taeil said, grabbing his coffee to hide his grin. “Seems like an interesting place.” 

“Don’t give me that sass,” Ten muttered. “It’s not like you planned your first tattoo any better than me,” he pointed out. “At least I’m not getting one whilst drunk.” 

“You should. It’s quite fun,” Taeil stated as he rolled up his sleeve to reveal a horrendously inked stick figure. “I’ll never cover this up.” 

“You should. It looks like shit.” 

“How sweet of you,” the older teased, pulling down the fabric of his hoodie back down. “But okay, you got me: I made a mistake. I do know a decent place where you could get inked up. It’s close to your studio _and_ they’ve got good prices too,” he added. “I got two of mine done there. I trust them.” 

Ten pursed his lips in thought. Taeil had quite a few tattoos adorning his body, some better than others. The younger would much rather go to a parlour that did one of the better ones. 

“Which two?” 

“The one you designed for me, and the planets.” 

Now _those_ tattoos looked great. Maybe Ten was biased because one was his very own artwork, but he had to admit that whoever worked on Taeil’s tattoos did them justice. So, maybe he was convinced. 

Very much so. 

*** 

The day of Ten’s appointment had finally fell upon him. He was giddy, somewhat nervous as to what would happen. Ten didn’t have an aversion to needles, let alone a fear for them. After getting numerous piercings, Ten was used to the sharp tool. Yet he still worried that small amount. 

Tattoo guns looked scary – as if they were a torture machine taken out of a horror movie. Besides, tattoos took much longer to complete than a quick ear piercing, so there was that added element to think about. 

Taeil assured Ten that it shouldn’t hurt him _that_ much, which really didn’t ease Ten in the way Taeil probably intended it to. All Ten could think of was the pain he’ll probably experience today, and if he was just that bit less decisive, he probably would have ran the complete opposite way to the parlour. 

But he didn’t. 

Instead, the man stepped inside. 

The interior wasn’t quite what he expected it to be. He thought that it would be dark and grungy, kind of like what he’s seen in movies over the years. Of course, he didn’t picture it to be dirty and completely dark, but he didn’t imagine to see _so_ many plants. If he didn’t know any better, Ten would have thought he stumbled into a botanic store or something along those lines. 

Ten wasn’t complaining though. In fact, the man actually preferred this to what he imagined. It was inviting; the warm tones of the walls and furniture all in similar shades paired with the lively luscious greens and pops of colourful flowers made the parlour feel cosy. If Ten was to pass out anywhere, he’d like it to be in an atmospheric place such as this. 

“You okay?” A man called out, grabbing Ten’s attention. Guessing by his heavily inked body and the rubber gloves he was in the process of taking off, Ten assumed the man worked here. “Can I help?” 

“I- yeah,” Ten replied. “I have an appointment,” he announced. “With someone called Taeyong.” 

“Ah,” the uttered. “Yeah he’s sick today. Boss will take care of you. I’ll call him for you.” 

Ten couldn’t help but think this was a sign from the heavens that he should run away. Maybe this would be a disaster after all. What if the artist that was supposed to work on Ten didn’t tell anyone about this appointment? Or what if he didn’t have the design they agreed on anywhere in the store? What if the e-mails they exchanged regarding the design suddenly vanished? 

There was so much that could go wrong, and all of a sudden, every single scenario played out in his head. Each one ending in a disaster, with Ten making a fool of himself or ending up in a fight. How would that happen? Somehow. 

He knew he was overthinking everything, clearly anxious about today’s outcome. That sadly couldn’t be helped. 

After maybe two minutes, the man Ten spoke to earlier came back, this time joined by someone else. It was another man who Ten thought would be the one doing his tattoo today, however when he noticed the absence of any tattoos, Ten scrapped that idea. It could have been another customer, perhaps coming in to make an appointment in person. Though, it was weird that he came from the back of the store. Did they have an office there? Ten wasn’t sure since he made his appointment through the phone since he was busy with work. 

The stranger was quite attractive though. The black t-shirt he wore hugged his chest snug, showing off his lean and fit physique. He also sported quite a few piercings – quite a few more than Ten. Some were simple silver or gold studs or hoops, and some were fancier with little jewels, such as the silver dangling earring shaped like a teardrop which encased a shimmering green stone. 

If Ten had to describe the man briefly, he’d probably have to settle on rock star. That was the overall demeanour of the stranger. With the piercings, the hint of smudged eyeliner, as well as his long, bleached hair tied up in a bun, the man looked like he could be the front man of a rock band. All that was missing were the tattoos. 

“Ten?” 

How strange, the man knew his name. 

“Are you Ten?” 

“I am,” the man in question replied. 

“Great. I’m Yuta. Follow me.” That was all the man said before he turned on his heel, walking over to one of the workstations. He sat down on the stool next to the client seat. 

Ten could only stare, utterly dumbfounded. _This_ was this tattoo artist? This blank canvas was the man who he was entrusting his virgin skin to? _Him?_

“Taeyong sent me the design yesterday,” Yuta stated as he got his workstation ready. “I’ll just have to resize it to fit your forearm,” he continued. He looked up to Ten who was still standing in shock. The artist cleared his throat, tapping the seat beside him. “Are you gonna sit down?” 

“Oh I- I umm... yeah.” Ten mentally slapped himself for being so awkward right now. He was just so surprised by Yuta’s appearance that he ended up making a fool of himself – in front of a handsome man as well! “Sorry,” he apologised softly, walking over to the artist. He sat down in the large chair, making himself comfortable. 

“Left forearm, right?” 

“Left, yeah.” 

“Let’s see then,” Yuta said as he looked down at Ten’s arm. He reached out for a few sheets of paper with a drawing Ten recognised as his own. 

Ten decided that he would get one of his own artworks tattooed on him for his first time. It only made sense to use his natural talent for this occasion, so he settled for a detailed image in his own unique style. He sent the design in through e-mail once he booked an appointment, only for the design to end up going through quite a few changes. 

It turned out that not everything could be perfectly translated from paper – or in Ten’s case: compressed files – to skin. The artist Ten had consulted advised Ten to cut down on a lot of the finer details, warning him that they’d blur into a mess after a while. 

But Ten was satisfied with his current design. When he showed his friends, they all agreed that that was very much his style. To make things even better, once his friends arrived to his 24th birthday party, not only was he greeted with quite a few gifts, but also with a fraction of the tattoo cost being paid off by his friends. 

“Is this a good size for you?” Yuta asked, placing down one of the cut-out templates down on Ten’s forearm. “Or would you like it smaller?” 

“No, that’s perfect,” Ten assured. 

Yuta smiled, and maybe that did something to Ten. 

_Oh god! He’s so fucking hot!_

Ten wasn’t exactly sure if he was lucky or not, getting stuck with Yuta as his tattoo artist. This was either a blessing or a misfortune, and Ten didn’t know which one of those two it was. Can Ten _really_ last what will definitely end up being at the very least two hours with Yuta and not manage to make a fool of himself? He seriously doubted that. Ten will surely end up saying something so dumb that the man will never want to see him again. It was a talent of his at this point. 

Ten felt something cold and wet on his skin, causing him to jolt. 

“Relax,” Yuta said. “It’s nothing harmless. Just disinfecting the skin.” 

At this point, Ten definitely looks like an idiot to Yuta. 

The artist continued to wet Ten’s forearm, rubbing the skin down and ensuring the area where the tattoo would be was wet. “First time?” Yuta asked, keeping Ten occupied. 

“Yeah. I figured there’s no reason to not get one,” Ten replied, glancing down at Yuta’s gloved hands. 

Yuta chuckled, throwing the wipe away. “That’s the spirit,” he said. The man then grabbed the template, carefully placing it on the wet skin, applying pressure onto the thin paper to transfer the line art. “It’s quite big for your first time,” he pointed out, taking a glimpse of Ten’s face. “It’s gonna sting.” 

Internally, Ten began screaming. Was Yuta doing it on purpose, or was Ten just this sexually frustrated that his mind twisted everything into an innuendo? 

_For fucks sake Ten! You’re twenty-four, get a grip of yourself!_

“I- I can handle it,” Ten assured, mentally banging his head against a wall for stuttering. 

“I sure hope so. But just in case, if you pass out, I’m still gonna get this finished.” 

“Fine by me.” 

Maybe it’ll be better if that happens, at least then Ten wouldn’t have to worry about saying anything weird. 

Yuta gently took the paper off and applied a thin layer of jelly like substance. 

“Okay then,” Yuta said as he leaned back. “You happy with this? You still have a few minutes to decide. After that, there’s no turning back.” 

“I’m sure,” Ten assured, glancing down at his arm. He was actually doing this. 

“Good.” Yuta prepped his workstation and his gun, all while Ten observed him intently. 

There was no denying that Yuta was insanely attractive, very much Ten’s type. It’s like the man had popped out of Ten’s imagination into the real world, fitting Ten’s criteria – when it came to looks alone – down to a T. And not only was he hot, but he was also employed, which was more than Ten could say about his previous boyfriends who tended to mooch off Ten like pesky parasites. 

“It’s a nice design,” Yuta stated, turning the tattoo gun on, the buzz causing a rush of different emotions to swirl around Ten’s stomach. “Taeyong said it came from you. Did you draw it?” 

Ten nodded, eyes locked with the gun. He gulped. 

“Impressive. So you draw?” 

“I’m an artist,” the man explained, biting down on his lip as he saw the machine draw nearer to his skin. “Mostly graphics,” he continued, partly to get closer to Yuta, but mainly to calm his own nerves. “I do illustrations from advertisements to books to album covers.” 

“Damn, that sounds like fun,” Yuta responded. “I’m gonna start now. Say goodbye to your clean skin once and for all.” 

Ten exhaled, a faint smile creeping its way onto his face. “Bye-bye.” 

The artist chuckled, finally connecting the pulsating needle with Ten’s skin. 

The man in the seat pulled a face, scrunching it up and forcing his eyes shut. 

“You’ll get used to it.” 

“I’m already used to it,” Ten lied through clenched teeth. He wasn’t going to be a cry-baby in front of Yuta, not if he wanted to impress Yuta. But then again, did Yuta actually _know_ what Ten was experiencing right now? 

After a few minutes in which Ten got used to the sting of the needle, the man finally spoke up again, turning his head to look over at Yuta who was working on the outline of the tattoo. 

“So... how come you don’t have any tattoos?” 

Yuta smirked, lifting the gun up from Ten’s skin to place his attention on him instead. 

“What makes you think I don’t have any?” With that somewhat vague yet implicating response, Yuta went back to work. 

_Don’t say anything stupid. Don’t say anything stupid. Don’t say-_

“Do you have a tramp stamp?” 

_You moron!_

The tattoo artist laughed, the sound music to Ten’s ears. “Dunno,” he replied, glancing up at Ten and locking eyes. “Do I?” 

Ten didn’t have to see himself to know he was blushing. He did this to himself, and now he was paying the price. Taeil warned him that one day his lack of thought-to-word filter would come bite him in the ass, and this was exactly that forewarned moment. 

Yuta probably thought Ten was a loser. 

“Do you?” 

The tattoo artist hummed, his lips in an ever-present smirk. “Well aren’t you curious,” he said as he moved the gun across Ten’s skin. 

“You work at a tattoo parlour,” Ten pointed out. “Of course I’m curious why you don’t have any tattoos.” 

“Correction: _own,_ ” Yuta said. “I own the place.” 

So he’s handsome _and_ owns a business? Was Ten dreaming right now, or has fate finally decided to smile upon him? 

“Even more of a reason to be curious,” Ten stated. “Aren’t tattoos a must have in a place like this? Like a sign of passage, you know?” 

“Again, how are you so sure I don’t have any?” Yuta looked up at Ten, a glint of _something_ in his large, sparkling eyes. Ten wasn’t sure if it was wishful thinking, but it seemed as if Yuta was trying to lead the conversation down a path which led them both to the place Ten wanted to end up at. 

“Well, I can’t see any on you,” Ten replied, biting his bottom lip as he awaited what would come next. 

“So you need to see it with your own eyes? Is that it?” 

“I need visual proof,” Ten declared, heart skipping a beat when the other man looked him dead in the eyes, a flame flickering within the deep brown irises. 

“That can be done,” Yuta assured. 

“Yeah?” Ten asked, amazed that he was actually getting anywhere with Yuta. 

“Yeah,” Yuta replied with a grin. “If you’re still curious by Friday, I’m sure I could show you.” 

Was that a date? Has Ten actually managed to land himself a date with Yuta, even when he’s been acting like an idiot? 

Ten shut his eyes, tilting his head up to the ceiling, a goofy grin written across his features. 

“Unless you get tired of me after the next few hours,” Yuta added, moving the needle across a slither of skin that caused Ten to wince. 

For a moment, Ten forgot where he was, the constant twinges of pain being dulled by Yuta’s presence. However, as he got carried away with his thoughts, the prickling slowly came back. 

“I doubt it,” Ten responded. “Unless there’s something absolutely repulsing about you,” he added, not really sure what would possibly be repelling enough to have Ten pass up the opportunity of getting closer with Yuta. 

“What are your standards for that?” 

“I dunno, kicking puppies.” 

Offended, Yuta gasped. “I would _never._ I’m not a monster.” 

“I hope so.” 

Slowly, the two men fell into a pleasant exchange. And whilst Ten spoke most of the time so Yuta could focus and meticulously work on the tattoo, Yuta did chime in so that it wasn’t all so one sided. 

It was pleasant, very much so. At points, Ten lost sight of his surroundings, thinking that he and Yuta were simply relaxing and chatting together. Though, that blissful image shattered each time Yuta would go over a patch of skin that was just that bit more sensitive. But other than that, everything was great. Yuta was great. 

Ten surely did get lucky today. 

Even as Yuta wrapped his arm up in foil, taking the man up to the front desk and suggesting products to take care of his newly acquired tattoo, Ten couldn’t stop thinking not of the stunning artwork, but of the man who shone like a million suns. 

As the hours dragged on, Ten worried that Yuta would get tired and less enthusiastic, but in reality it was the opposite; the more time the men spent talking, the brighter Yuta seemed to beam. That honestly gave Ten hope that there was a chance of something between them. If Yuta didn’t get fed up of Ten’s rambling for two or so hours, then maybe he could deal with more. 

Ten hoped that was the case. 

“Understood?” Yuta asked after explaining how Ten should care for his tattoo. 

The man in question nodded. 

“Great. Of course, if you have any questions or anything, you can call me.” 

“And what about Friday? Is that still on?” 

Yuta grinned. “Is three fine by you?” 

“Sounds perfect.” 

“In that case, Friday at three.” 

Ten felt giddy, fingers twitching in anticipation. “Where are you taking me? You know, to show me _all_ the tattoos you clearly have.” 

“How about a coffee first? And then,” Yuta leaned across the counter, whispering to Ten, “you can have a look.” The man pulled back, leaving Ten to furiously try to hide his pink dusted cheeks. “Deal?” 

“Deal.” 

And with that, Ten ended up with not only a tattoo, but a date. 

Now _that’s_ what you call an eventful birthday. 

The only thing that could have made it better would be a parting kiss, but guessing by the minimal time spent with Yuta plus the fact the man was at work, Ten doubted the possibility of that happening. A man could dream though. 

“Well then... I’ll get going,” Ten announced, apprehensive to take a step back. 

Ten offered Yuta a parting smile, only for his heart to jump out his chest when the man called out to him. 

“Wait. Follow me,” he ordered, walking towards an office at the back of the parlour. 

Ten did as told, walking into the office with Yuta. He wasn’t aware as to what the other man was doing. 

“Take this,” Yuta said, handing over a small tub. “It’ll help it heal.” 

“Oh... thank you. How much?” 

“It’s on the house,” Yuta replied. 

“Yuta I- I can’t.” 

“I insist. Unless...” Yuta trailed off, taking a step closer to Ten. He was practically inviting Ten in for something more.

Ten didn’t hesitate, worried that if he doesn’t take his chance now when it’s presented on a silver platter, he’ll regret it. And so, Ten reached out for Yuta’s face, cupping his cheeks as he pulled the man down for a kiss. 

They both craved the same thing – the way Yuta smiled into the kiss gave it away. The way Yuta placed his hands on Ten’s waist, pulling him the tiniest increment, had Ten’s stomach swirling with joy, an indescribable warmth filling him up. 

“Friday?” Ten asked after pulling away, voice hushed. 

“Friday.” 

**Author's Note:**

> For @HSunHyuk on Twitter  
> My Twitter: @teniljohnyong
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


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